sizewell

Reacting to Gordon Brown's comments that the UK needs to increase its nuclear power capacity, Robin Oakley, head of Greenpeace's climate and energy campaign, said:

"This looks like nothing more than a clumsy attempt by Brown to talk up British Energy's share price. The nuclear industry has had a woeful 24 hours that must be shaking confidence in this outdated technology.

"Sizewell B shut down unexpectedly, clean-up costs are soaring and the reactor that France want to sell us has had construction halted for safety reasons.

Tuesday's power cuts were due to an "antiquated energy system", according to environmentalists.

Robin Oakley, head of Greenpeace's climate and energy campaign, said: "Britain's antiquated centralised energy system relies on a few large power stations, such as our aging and increasingly unreliable nuclear power plants. When they fail the impact can be enormous. Sizewell B for example, the plant that failed on Tuesday, has the single greatest need for back-up on the national grid.

Nuclear power stations are at risk from significant sea-level rises and storm surges in the future. Many existing and proposed sites are not suitable locations for new nuclear reactors, according to a report by flood experts.

Today eleven Greenpeace volunteers received fines for taking action to expose lax security at British Energy's Sizewell B nuclear plant. The fines were handed down by the District Judge sitting at Lowestoft Magistrates Court (1).